Supporting the Termez River Port Checkpoint

The project 'Strengthening the Termez River Port Checkpoint on the Uzbek-Afghan Border' has come to a close after four years of dedicated work, having successfully strengthened one of the most strategically-important border checkpoints in the fight against illegal drug trafficking in Central Asia. With Afghanistan producing a vast majority of the world's heroin supply, ensuring that this checkpoint is capable of preventing trafficking not only in the drug but also in precursor chemicals, the substances used to manufacture heroin, remains a UNODC priority. The project has improved the capacities of border guards, customs officials and law enforcement bodies posted at the checkpoint, a goal which has been achieved through the provision of training and specialised equipment.

In order to finalise this project, representatives of the UNODC Regional Office of Central Asia travelled to the Termez Border Crossing Point in December, in order to deliver a range of specialised equipment to the Uzbek State Customs and Border Protection Committee. These individuals included the UNODC Officer in Charge and Regional Representative Mr. Asif Majeed, the US Ambassador to Uzbekistan Mr. George Krol, and the head of the Sukhandarya region's Uzbek State Customs Committee Mr. Tolib Saidov.

The ceremony saw the transferal of a quantity of specialised and non-specialised equipment to the Uzbek State Customs and Border Protection Committee representatives which operate the Termez River Port Checkpoint. The specialised equipment included diesel-powered generators, trailer-mounted x-ray scanners, both stationary and mounted USB radio and local telephone stations and others. Likewise, the non-specialised equipment included computers, endoscopes, individual and crew toolkits, inspection probes, and both platform and electronic scales. This delivery represented a significant investment in the checkpoint, with a cost more than $400,000.